Stewardship of Us. Does it Matter?

Stewardship is the responsibility of managing or taking care of something that belongs to someone else.

We are called to be good stewards of what God gave us. Many see that as taking care of our finances, time, talents or natural resources. But what about our health? We often forget about that or believe it’s not important.

Get over the thought that “It’s my body, I can do what I want with it.” It’s not. It’s God’s body. He made it. He bought it with a price. It is the temple of the Holy Spirit.

We don’t need to learn to be unhealthy. That comes naturally. However, we need to learn how to be healthy and oh boy, it’s hard work. An effort most people don’t want to make. Naturally, our bodies will start to breakdown with age. That is just part of the aging process, thanks to the fall. But does that mean we should just let it go?

Unfortunately, nowhere does God promise us good health despite our efforts. He may even use poor health for his purpose. Some things are not in our control. That doesn’t mean we should throw our hands in the air and say, “What’s the point? I’m just gonna do what I want, you only live once.”

We often pray for the healing, but we don’t want to put the work in for our health. We don’t want to give up the things we know are unhealthy for us. Don’t we have some responsibility? Ignorance is not always bliss. Jesus spent lots of time healing people while he was here, often for God’s glory. He cared, shouldn’t we?

Although spiritual health is most important and physical health should be secondary to spiritual health, that doesn’t mean physical health is unimportant. We should still honor God with our bodies.

The Old Testament is full of rules designed to keep His people healthy, among spiritual reasons as well.

What happens to our bodies, affects our brains (cognitively, emotionally, psychologically). What happens in our brains affects our spiritual life. The health of our bodies and brains also affects our productivity in serving God and others.

Does how you feel physically or mentally ever affect your job performance? I know when I feel poorly I am less effective at being a teacher that makes a difference in the lives of her students and their families. I need to strive to be healthier so I can be the best teacher I am capable of being (which I consider my ministry). This is also true for being a wife and mother.

When we are ill or just not up to par, we can’t use our full potential to serve the Lord with the talents he gave us.

Not only that, but being a healthier person helps us be better stewards of our finances, because a healthier people mean lower healthcare costs for us and our employers. They should be enabling/encouraging us to become healthier as well.

Nothing should rule over us. Do our habits control us? Do we get our comfort from a piece of pie or from the Lord?

Science shows our health is most affected by…

what we eat

our physical activity (or lack of it)

lifestyle choices

sleep

We also know now that the majority of conditions can be prevented or controlled such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, some cancers, health issues caused by obesity and many more. Many issues are out of our control, but we can impact more than we think. Keep in mind that it is easier to prevent a condition than to correct it. Be proactive.